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Small car dealers stress relationships

By: Brian Lazenby
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Charlie Rogers

Automobile dealers in small towns compete with dealerships in larger, neighboring cities and say they offer what big companies can’t — personalized customer service.

Charlie Rogers, owner of Charlie Rogers Ford Mercury and Crown GM in Dayton, Tenn., has been in the car business for almost 50 years. In that time, he said he has learned to treat his customers like family.

“I’d say 75 percent of the people who buy a car here have bought a car here before,” he said, noting he knows most of them by name.

Co-owner Keith Ellis said personalized treatment is what enables the dealership to sell anywhere from 30 to 50 cars a month.

“We don’t get as many chances as a big dealer does, so we have to make them count,” he said.

Jim Gentry, owner of Gentry Chevrolet Pontiac and Buick in Kimball, Tenn., said customer service keeps people coming back.

Staff Photo by Tim Barber
J. Casey Pendleton, right, prepares to place a piece of carpet under the wheel of a Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra in the showroom of Charlie Rogers Ford Mercury and Crown GM in Dayton, Tenn. Customer Charlie Elliott, left, shakes the hand of owner Charlie Rogers.

“We still operate like a mom and pop business,” he said. “We don’t just sell cars. We build relationships.”

Mr. Gentry said he once sold a car to a man who later moved to Dallas. The man recently drove across three states to buy from Gentry Chevrolet again, Mr. Gentry said.

“It’s because we take care of our customers,” he said.

Mr. Ellis said the Ford Mercury and Crown GM dealerships still offer a diversified list of service options, which many big businesses have discontinued.

He said they operate a body shop, a wrecker service and maintains a certified locksmith on site.

Also, if someone who purchased a car from either Charlie Rogers Ford or Crown GM needs it serviced, Mr. Ellis said they will pick it up from the owner and deliver it back to them while they are at work so they never miss it.

Allen Brooker of Brooker Ford in Dalton, Ga., said he sometimes attracts customers from Chattanooga, but the majority of his business comes from the Dalton area.

“What we depend on for our livelihood is the local customer base,” he said, noting that most of them are repeat customers. “I probably know most of them by their first names.”

Mr. Ellis said larger dealerships often have more inventory, but if he doesn’t have what a customer wants, he will drive to get it.

The Ford Mercury dealership keeps about 150 cars in stock, while Crown GM maintains an inventory of about 100 cars.

Mr. Ellis recently made trips to Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama to pick up cars for customers who wanted a vehicle that they did not have on their lot.

“You don’t have to talk to 12 people to buy a car,” Mr. Ellis said. “Usually, there is only one person you will talk to before you leave.”

Small town dealers also are quick to tout their service departments, which they claim also offer personalized customer service.

“I’d say we have the best service department in the country,” Mr. Rogers said. “We have absolutely zero complaints on our work.”

Mr. Gentry said his service department is top-notch and has been named the No. 2 Pontiac service department in the nation.

Whether customers are looking for a Chevrolet, Ford, Buick or some other make, small-town dealers said they make purchasing a car a comfortable experience.

“We try to be 100 percent honest with our customers and always give them the benefit of the doubt,” Mr. Rogers said.

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